Martin-Simon: Time of momentous change
The former chief executive of the esure Group will next week take up the reins of Lawfront, the private equity-backed group leading the ‘buy and build’ movement in the legal market.
Peter Martin-Simon is replacing Neil Lloyd, who is leaving in a planned retirement, nearly four and a half years after joining and steering Lawfront through multiple acquisitions to a business with a turnover of around £170m and 1,500 staff.
Mr Martin-Simon held various senior roles at Centrica, latterly managing director of British Gas, before joining esure in 2021 as chief trading officer, before promotion to chief commercial officer and then, a year ago, chief executive when Ageas bought the company from Bain Capital for £1.3bn. He left in April.
He is also a non-executive director of wealth management business Mattoli Woods and of Alfred, a membership-based household services provider.
In a statement, Lawfront said: “With a career spanning financial services, energy, retail and corporate businesses, Peter brings extensive experience of digital, IT and data transformation and M&A integration, that will further accelerate Lawfront’s growth to its ambitious long-term targets and reinforce its position as a leading regional legal services group.”
Last week, Lawfront announced a refinancing [1] that nearly doubled its funding, meaning “we can expand on our ambitious growth strategy”.
It has bought seven large regional law firms since entering the market in 2021: Brachers, Farleys, Fisher Jones Greenwood, Nelsons, Slater Heelis, Trethowans and, most recently, Field Seymour Parkes [2]. Lawfront has also supported the individual firms to make multiple bolt-on acquisitions too.
Axel Graenitz, chair of Lawfront, said: “Supported by our experienced management team, under Peter’s leadership Lawfront is set to continue its journey as a market leader in regional legal services. I would like to thank Neil for his invaluable contribution in building Lawfront to what it is today.”
Mr Martin-Simon added: “I am excited to be joining Lawfront at a time of momentous change in the legal sector driven by consolidation and the adoption of AI.
“Lawfront has established itself as a leading legal services group in the UK and I intend to use my expertise to accelerate growth and consolidate its market-leading position.”